Web App VS Native App Which Is Better For Small Business?

One questions facing small buisnesses looking to develop a mobile application is whether to build an app (native application) or web app. Both of these custom softwares have general benefits and costs, but they also have advantages and downsides specific to small businesses.

Good For Lower Budgets

Web apps take less time to build. Lower development times tends to mean lower costs. For those small businesses who don’t have the largest budget a web app is a great way to go. They can do alot of what is required from a native app with the added benefit of a lower development budget.

What Do You Need It To Do: Support VS Function

Web applications are great behind the scenes operators. If, for example, you need a form to produce a PDF report, a web app is a great way to do so. It will take all the data from the filled-in form, organize it, analyze it, and spit out a spiffy new PDF for you. For a small businesses looking to develop an app, a good question to ask is what you are looking for it to do. If your needs tend to fall on the behind the scenes side of things, a web app might be the best solution.

Frequency of Update

Is your software going to need frequent updates or just stay as is? Every time you want to update a native app a brand new version has to be made. All these updates mean time and money. On the other hand web apps can be updated with greater ease and with virtually zero down time.

Cross Platform Compatiability

Not only can web apps be updated easier, since they run off a browser, this means that you don’t have the build a new one for each mobile device out there. This not only reduces development costs, but increases the number of individuals who can access the application.

More About Efficiency

As a general rule – one for which there are exceptions – web apps tend to help businesses achieve greater levels of efficiency. They reduce the amount of data that needs to be crunched, they can give employees support, and they can even help to automate large amounts of functions. All-in-all web apps can help improve efficiency without a huge amount of capital investment.

Native Apps To Have A Place As Well

Because native applications are downloaded and installed they have accesses to more computing power. Not only that, but with each successive generation of phones and devices the power available to native apps is growing. Web applications run off a browser and require the internet, so they are limited in what can be processed.

Apps Are Easier To Buy

Since iTunes has a large database of credit cards, selling an app to the consumer is as easy as clicking a button. Web apps still require a more traditional online pushasing method, which has yet to have caught on. However, with services like payfirma, this might change in the future.